This beautiful, lusciously creamy cake is an excellent addition to the table at any time of year, but is especially fun for the holidays. The raspberry pink and creamy white layers are festive without going over into the tacky-Christmas category. My first foray into raw, vegan dessert is adapted from a recipe by Sarah Britton of My New Roots, with just a few small changes.

I found that Britton's recipe was not enough to fill my 7-inch pan so you'll find a larger amount of ingredients in mine. I also chose to add a bit of almond milk in order to help anyone who may be making this without a Vitamix, aka the queen of all blenders. The extra liquid helps the blending go smoothly without diluting any creaminess. I'll admit, I am also a shameless fan of my homemade almond milk (recipe to come soon) and am always looking for new ways of using it!

Britton mentions that this recipe is adaptable and really should be played with. I chose to stick with raspberries for my first Dreamcake for the color, but will certainly be testing it out with new ingredients soon! I see chocolate, pumpkin, blueberry, cinnamon and ginger in my future... I will be sure, as Britton recommends, to remember to add lemon to all experimental flavors, as that tartness is the secret to achieving a cheesecake-like tang.

I was drawn to this recipe not only as a vegan dessert that would look pretty on my Christmas table, but also as a raw, healthy sweet. As Britton points out, a slice (or three) of this delectable Dreamcake is more like a handful of fruit and nuts in your belly than it is a bomb of sugary fats. Rest assured that I will feel zero guilt from chowing down on this decadent treat all weekend long!

Raw Cashew-Raspberry Dreamcake

Prep time: 5 hours. Assembly time: 30 minutes. Setting time: 1 hour.

Ingredients for one 7-inch cake:

1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup medjool dates

1 tsp sea salt

2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup raw honey or agave nectar

1/3 cup almond milk

1 cup raspberries (thaw if using frozen)

2 meyer lemons

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Place dates, almonds, walnuts and salt in food processor or blender and pulse. The texture of your mixture should be somewhat rough but should stick together if you roll a bit in your hands.

Pack date and nut blend into a 7-inch springform pan. If you don't have a springform, line a pie pan or flat-bottomed bowl with saran wrap.

Gently heat coconut oil and honey (or agave) in a small saucepan until totally melted. Add this liquid, almond milk, lemon juice, soaked cashews and vanilla beans to a high powered blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth and creamy. This should take 2-3 minutes.

Pour 2/3 of this creamy mixture on top of your date and nut crust. Smooth out evenly in the pan.

Add raspberries to the remaining mixture in your blender. Blend until smooth.

Add raspberry mixture to the cake and smooth out evenly.

Cover and freeze for at least one hour. Before serving, allow the cake to thaw for 10-30 minutes.

What is on your Christmas dinner table? And what are your favorite raw, vegan desserts?